Dark Forest Cats
by Winter the Arctic Fox
Summary: These are stories of WHY the Dark Forest cats are where they are. I've always wanted to know why, haven't you?


Tigerstar

Tigerkit looked up at the High Rock as Pinestar announced that he was leaving to become a kittypet. His father, leaving? No, he must have heard wrong.

As Pinestar walked towards his mother, him, and his sisters, Tigerkit pounced on his father's tail. Leopardfoot and Pinestar briefly talked, Leopardfoot gesturing to Nightkit and Mistkit, who were slumped by her. After a little, Pinestar gently nosed Tigerkit then turned and left.

He wanted to wail. _No! Come back! I…I can't do this without you!_ , he cried in his mind.

Tigerkit was jerked awake by wails during the middle of the night. Strange, they were coming from his mother, crouched beside him over a two bundles, one black and one grey.

He shot upright. Nightkit and Mistkit! Leopardfoot was crouched over the unmoving bodies of his sisters! He shot over to there and huddled with his mother. First his father…. And now his sisters.

"Tigerpaw, your mentor will be Thistleclaw." Sunstar announced.

Tigerpaw stretched up to touch noses with his new mentor and was startled by the strange gleam in his eyes. Ambition and cruelt.

This was the worst decision Sunstar ever made.

"Faster! Harder!" Thistleclaw snapped, darting forward to lash out, catching Tigerpaw on the ear. Tigerpaw felt the skin tear and blood trickle down his face, making him angry. He was just about to tackle his mentor when Bluefur approached.

Thistleclaw immediately stopped and eyed the blue-grey she-cat with hatred. Bluefur glared right back and said that Sunstar ordered them to do border patrol.

Thistleclaw's eyes gleamed and he flicked his tail, leading the cats away. Before long, they came across a tiny, black kittypet kit with one white paw.

Thistleclaw ordered Tigerpaw to attack. Bluefur protested but Tigerpaw obeyed his mentor, still angry from the training session.

He bit and slashed at the kit and finally had it down, ready to close his jaws on its throat, ready to end its life. "Say goodbye, kittypet." He growled

"Stop, Tigerpaw! That's enough!" Bluefur said. "Warriors do not need to kill cats to win a battle, remember?

"I was just defending our territory." Tigerpaw protested in a growl, looking up at her.

"And you've done that. This kit has learned its lesson." Bluefur said, Thistleclaw standing back and looking impassive yet angry.

"Yeah." Tigerpaw said, looking back at the kit and lifting his paw. "You'll never forget me."

As they padded away, Tigerpaw's anger faded and he looked back, feeling remorse.

_I'm sorry, kittypet. _

The rest of Tigerpaw's life passed in a blur of abusive training, battles, death, emotional and physical pain, and self hatred.

Finally, he stood at the end, facing the kit he had attacked so long ago, but now full-grown yet still tiny. "Traitor!" He yowled, flinging himself at the cat, Scourge. Scourge moved in a blur so he wasn't quite sure what happened but found himself laying on the grass, blood spilling out of a terrible wound.

As he convulsed, losing all his lives, one after another, he felt the strangest emotion: regret.

Regret that he had spent his life murdering to lead, regret that he had to leave his mates and kits behind, regret that he had lost so many of his family so early.

_So the time has come to pay the price. I wish I could go back and change everything, but it is too late. So be it._

**Don't flame, please. This is only my second fic and definitely the first time I've ever tried something like this.**

**Tell me through email which cat you would like next! If you want, that is.**

**I did Tigerstar because his background has always intrigued me. I mean, no one is born evil. Odd picture, a kit murdering someone. Anyway, like I said, I've always wondered why he went evil. So I put together a few of the true stories that I think might have contributed it. And I made him feel regret because I feel he never knew better than this, really. I mean, Thistleclaw was an abusive mentor, after all.**

**~Indy**


End file.
